Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing

The Graduate Certificate in Critical Care Nursing enables students to develop specialist knowledge and skills required of a nurse in a variety of critical care areas, including coronary care, emergency departments and intensive care. This course fosters both academic and clinical competence enabling students to integrate theory into practice and further develop clinical decision making skills. Comprehensive multidisciplinary team approach is advocated to manage and support critically ill patients and their family. This course enables nurses to develop their professional autonomy and provide leadership within their chosen area of critical care nursing.

Students complete 4 units of study – 3 cores and 1 specialty elective.

Studying critical care nursing with ACN will provide you with the opportunity to explore the latest advances in technology and the associated nursing practice to meet the needs of the patient in the 21st century in each of the specialty areas in the critical care environment.

This course is designed for registered nurses wishing to further their education in the practice of critical care nursing. It enables students to:

• Apply specialist knowledge and high levels of clinical competence in the critical care setting to facilitate patient centred care and ensure optimal clinical outcomes
• Formulate a sound theoretical base to inform nursing practice in dynamic, complex and demanding critical care environments
• Demonstrates the provision of comprehensive assessment and care delivery for patients with life- threatening health problems using evolved clinical judgement and skills
• Evaluate qualitative and quantitative health research to determine evidence for critical care nursing practice
• Analyse the nurse’s role as an integral member of the critical care team, relying on effective communication to ensure safe practice and support for other clinicians, patients and families
• Develop leadership, mentoring and educational skills to contribute to high standard critical care practice and facilitate quality improvement in the health care setting
• Justify and prioritise clinical decisions using evidence based data to ensure professional integrity and ethical nursing practice
• Appraise the importance of and participate in continuous learning to remain a safe and effective critical care nurse by enhancing clinical skills and knowledge.

Core subjects:

• Stress Response and Health Breakdown (277)
• Principles of Critical Care Nursing (281)
• Leadership and Professional Practice (925)

Specialty elective subjects (choose one specialty elective from the following):

• Cardiac Nursing (067)
• Emergency Nursing (069)
• Intensive Care Nursing (070)

*Cardiac Nursing (067) has a pre-requisite: you must be working in an area that has critical care cardiac patients to study this specialty elective.

Disclaimer: Fees vary dependent on subject electives chosen